Elevator door interlock



Jan. 20, 1953 Y w. HEALEY 2,525,018

' ELEYATOR nooR INTERLQCK Filed Dec. is, 195o Snventor IC. 22 I' a/iliamHealey Patented Jan. 20, v1953 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ELEvA'ronnoon INTERLcCK William Healey, Philadelphia, ra.

Application December 13, 1950, Serial No. 200,641

i (ol. la7-56) 3 Claims. 1

The present invention relates to elevator doors and is concernedprimarily with an interlock that is provided between the door of theelevator itself and any of the doors leading into the elevator shaft.

At the present time it is common practice in the largel and moreexpensive buildings to provide some sort of power device for opening thedoors leading into the elevator shaft. However, there are many smallerless expensive buildings which include elevators and in Which it is notpractical to provide the power devices. Thus, both the elevator dooritself is manually operable and the door at each floor leading into theelevator shaft is also manually operable. Such an arrangement isextensively used where the elevators are self-operated, that is, thepassenger of the elevator performs the duties of the operator.

It is evident that with the arrangement above outlined, it is necessaryfor a, passenger in a car to perform two distinct operations, either inentering or leaving the car.' As he leaves the elevator he must firstopen the elevator doo-r and then lthe door between the shaft and theparticular floor where the elevator is located and the re- `verse ofthis operation occurs when a passenger enters the elevator.

With the foregoing conditions in mind the present invention has in viewas its foremost objective the provision of a mechanical interlockbetween the door of an elevator and any of the doors leading into theelevator shaft. With such an interlock the opening or closing movementof one door is accompanied by a corresponding movement of the door thatis interlocked therewith.

The mechanical interlock of this invention is particularly adapted foruse with doors of the sliding type. Thus, both the elevator door itselfand the doors to the shaft should be sliding doors.

More in detail, the invention has as van object the provision of anelevator door having a projection extending outwardly from the outerface thereof. Each of the doors leading into the elevator shaft isformed with a vertically arranged socket that is open at both endsproviding what is in effect a track through which said projection isadapted to pass. Thus, as the elevator moves upwardly o-r downwardly theprojection on the elevator door will pass through the track formed bythe sockets on all of the shaft doors when the latter are in closedposition. However, when the elevator stops at any floor the projectionof the door is received in the socket to establish the mechancialinterlock between the door of the elevator and the shaft door.

Various other more detailed objects and advantages of the invention suchas arise in oonnection With carrying out the above noted ideas in apractical embodiment will, in part become apparent, and in part behereinafter stated as the description of the invention proceeds.

The invention, therefore, comprises a mechanical interlock between anelevator door and any of.' the several doors of an elevator shaft inwhich; the doors are of a sliding type and which inter-- lock permits ofmovement of the elevator past the shaft doors in closed position.

For a full and more complete understanding of the invention, referencemay be had to the following description and accompanying drawingwherein:

Figure 1 is -a fragmentary View partially in elevation and partially insection of that portion of a building in which an elevator shaft isformed;

Figure 2 is a detailed horizontal section taken about on the planerepresented by the line 2-2 of Figure 1.

Referring now to the drawing wherein like reference characters denotecorresponding parts, a building in which an elevator is installed isreferred to in its entirety by the reference character B. The building Bmay of course have any number of oors greater than one. VFor thepurposes of this invention it is shown as having two floors FI and F2.The elevator shaft extends between these floors in a vertical direction.Slidably mounted on each of the floors FI and F2 is a sliding door I0which leads from the particular floor into the elevator shaft. Theparticular structure which slidably mounts the doors I0 is notillustrated because it is not a part of the present invention. Slidingmountings of this type are well known and are extensively used.

Each of the doors I0 has an outer face II and an inner face l2. Mountedon the inner face I2 of each door are a pair of channel plates I3 and I4which are supported by base plates I5 and I5. The plate I3 may besecured to the plate I5 and the plate I4 to the plate I6 in anypreferred manner such as by welding and the base plates I5 and I5 aresecured to the door I0 in any preferred manner such as by the screwbolts represented at I1.

The plates I3 and I4 complement one another and together define a socketwhich is open at its upper and lower ends and which socket is in effecta track. The upper and lower edges of each of the plates I3 and I4 arebevelled asindicated at I8 to provide what are in effect flared ends forthe track defined by the plates.

The door of an elevator is represented at I9 'through these tracks whichalign when the doors are closed as the Yelevator moves upwardly anddownwardly.Y The roller 22 ismounted on afbolt 23, the head 24 of whichengages the inner face 20 of the door I9. A spacing collar 25 is inter;-posed between the roller 22 and the outer face u2| of the door I9. A nut26 is threaded on the free end of the bolt and holds thergller -242 lposition thereon.

While the operation of the interlock above described is believed to beobvious from the `description of the parts given, it may be brieyoutlined 4by nrstnoting thatnif the severaldoors IUien the `respectivefloors of fthe ,building are in closed position, the tracks -or passagesdened by `the Vplates fl 3 and .t4 are in .vertical alignment.

as the elevator which carries the door ,I S moves upwardly anddownwardly the roller 2 2 will pass through these aligned tracks.

.When the elevator Lstops at any floor the roller 22` is positioned andthe `socket dened'by vthe platesl and 5,4 onthedoor at that floor, therebyestablishing a mechanical interlockbetween f,

clearly. understood thvatlthe invention is not to be Ilimited l to the`.enact constructions, mechanisms, anddevices illustrated and describedbecause various modiiications of these detailsmay be providedlin puttingthe invention into' practice Ywithin the purview of the appendeduclaims.

What claimed is:

,1 .I 114conibination, a plin'ality of sliding elevatorfshatdoors invertical alignment-:Qa sliding elevatorhdoorgeach of said elevator'shaftdoors .enigma .wie *a vascelli/'genes met that is open at itsupper and lower ends with the several sockets on the several doors invertical alignment, and a projection on the outer face of said elevatordoor adapted to pass through said sockets and assume a position in anyone of them to establish a mechanical interlock between said elevatordoor and the shaft door having the socket in which the projection isreceived.

v2. In combination, a plurality of sliding elevator doors in verticalalignment each having outer and inner faces, a pair of complementalplates mounted on the inner face of each of said shaft doors with saidplates defining a vertical track that is open at both ends, the trackson said several doors being in alignment and with each A.track alsoconstituting in effect a socket, an elevator door having outer and innerfaces, and a projection on the outer face of said elevator door adaptedto pass through said tracks and be operatively positioned in any of saidsockets to establish ya Inecl'lanical interlock.

' 3j In combination,` a 'plurality of sliding ele vator shaft doors invertical alignment each having outer and inner face-s, a pair ofcomplemental plates mounted on the inner face of each of said shaftYdoors with said plates'dening av Vertical track that is open at bothends, the tracks on said several doors being in alignment and with Veachtrack also constituting in effect a socket,

'rest in any of thev sockets defined thereby to establish a mechanicalinterlock.

VJILLIAM REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in theleof this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,458,402 Myers -l Jan. 4, 1949

